Snapshot: The Concealed Carry Industry

Firearms education is a pillar of the firearms industry. Classes on the proper use and storage of firearms, as well as self defense are not only helpful, but also required for obtaining concealed carry permits in many states.

Naturally, there are many businesses that offer the instruction necessary to meet the requirements of various US States to issue CCW permits to residents, and in some cases non-residents. With some reports stating that concealed carry permit holders have grown 7x in the last 20 years (and still rising), the concealed carry training industry is a clear growth area.

It’s worth noting that each state may have its own name for a concealed carry permit, which can include: Concealed Carry Weapon (CCW); Concealed Carry Pistol (CCP); Concealed Carry Permit (CCP); Concealed Carry License (CCL); Concealed Pistol License (CPL); Concealed Handgun Permit (CHP); Concealed Handgun License (CHL); Concealed Weapons Permit (CWP); License To Carry (LTC); and License to Carry Firearm (LTCF). Note that merchant services offered for “CCW training” would pertain to any of these state-specific terms and acronyms, as well.

Merchant Services For Businesses Offering CCW, CHL & LTC Courses

If you legally operate a business that offers CCW, CHL or LTC training classes, you may have been previously turned down for a merchant account from a mainstream bank or merchant services company.

Or worse, your firearms training business may have had its merchant account terminated with little to no previous notice.

Many banks and merchant services providers will not accept your business for one of two reasons:

1. Firearms are highly regulated by the federal government, and therefore, additional underwriting is required by the credit card processor.
2. Because firearms and the 2nd Amendment are a “hot button” political issue, many banks and merchant services companies have taken an “anti” 2nd Amendment stance, and refuse to work with CHL instructors, even if they are otherwise highly desirable clients.

Tactical Payments, by contrast, was founded with the exact mission to serve firearms industry businesses. We will offer you competitive pricing, easy integration, and friendly, USA-based customer support.

CHL Class Merchant Account FAQs

The following are the most frequently asked questions we get from businesses interesting in being approved for a CCW, CHL & LTC training merchant account from Tactical Payments.

What kinds of CCW / CHL / LTC training businesses do you accept as merchants?

Tactical Payments accepts a wide variety of firearms training businesses, including independent course instructors, local gun clubs which offer courses and instruction, as well as firearms retailers that offer CCW / CHL / LTC courses as an ancillary business to their retail operations. All merchants must abide by all applicable Federal, State, and Local laws and regulations. Plus, for CCW / CHL / LTC or other training courses: Must have documented firearm instructor certification through the National Rifle Association, TCLEOSE, Security Officer training, or the military.

What criteria does my CCW / CHL / LTC training business need to meet, to approved for a merchant account by Tactical Payments?

To be approved for a merchant account by Tactical Payments, your training business must meet the following criteria: (a) your business must be located, and operate, solely within the United States of America (and the business owner must be a US citizen with a SSN); (b) you must be willing to provide the following documentation: (1) a voided business check or verified bank letter, (2) a valid government ID such as a driver’s license, (3) 3 months’ previous business bank statements, or personal bank statements if the business is a startup, and (4) 3 months’ previous credit card processing statements, if applicable.

ADDITIONALLY, for CCW / CHL / LTC or other training courses: Must have documented firearm instructor certification through the National Rifle Association, TCLEOSE, Security Officer training, or the military.

​Is Tactical Payments compatible with my existing ecommerce or Point Of Sale (POS) software?

Training businesses typically have a preferred ecommerce or POS (Point Of Sale) software system they use. Because Tactical Payments works with most major payment gateways (including Authorize.net, USAePay and NMI), our merchant accounts integrate with most popular ecommerce and Point Of Sale systems. Tactical Payments is compatible with Shopify, WooCommerce, BigCommerce, Magento, Volusion, and many other ecommerce software packages, and is also compatible with GunBroker.com.